All New X-Factor Appreciation

[Randumbz]

Wait, there's another x-factor series? Awesome! How does it compare to x-factor investigations?

[Sea Hound]

Wait, there's another x-factor series? Awesome! How does it compare to x-factor investigations?

Hiya Randumbz.

Different theme to Investigations. This series is exploring the idea of a corporate super team, run by Serval Idustries. (Think a mix of google and weapons manufacture, with a hint of Steve Jobs.

Completely different cast aside from Polaris who carries over. Also features Quicksilver, (to great effect. PAD writes him perfectly) Gambit, Danger, Warlock and Cypher.

Still written by Peter David. There will be differing opinions on whether it's as good as the last run. I don't think it started quite as strongly, but it's picked up a lot. It's still witty, and PAD pays a lot of attention to characterisation, and uses continuity well.

The penciller is doing a fine job. My major gripe is with the colouring, which is on the lurid side.

Definitely worth checking out, (we're only up to issue 8 or 9.).

[jmc247]

Wait, there's another x-factor series? Awesome! How does it compare to x-factor investigations?

Unfortunately I see it a lot online that fans don't even know there is a new X-Factor series, but to answer your question its a different setting with a corporate super hero team, but it provides the opportunity for very different politically relevant stories. You have Gambit getting to show his stuff and have some fun in a different setting. Its also nice having Lorna and Pietro on the same team which allows them to deal with longstanding family issues that haven't been dealt with much in the past decade.

[Conch22]

I hope Peter David never stops writing Gambit. Also, anyone know when issue 9 comes out? I recently bought issues 1-8 and just finished, absolutely loved it.

[Neko]

I hope Peter David never stops writing Gambit. Also, anyone know when issue 9 comes out? I recently bought issues 1-8 and just finished, absolutely loved it.

#9 was released weeks ago - June 4th. He does write an awesome Gambit.

[Conch22]

My store must be sold out, will be back ordering, thanks

[Neko]

Gambit's shenanigans is awesome in #9. Wished more time was spent on it but I'll take what I got because it was awesome.

[R0d]

If I'm honest I think the book had a much better start (#1 and #3 were amazing) but now everything is pretty average. Don't get me wrong there's nothing inherently wrong in the book, it has good characterization and good team interaction but IMHO there's nothing really special here, so far it's just another superhero team book.
The book needs to explore the corporate angle much more and set itself apart the rest of the books, it also needs more action and compelling villains (so far their biggest enemy was Magus, and that is not a compliment).
I said this before in other places, but in a lot of ways ANXF reminds me of Liu's AXM, she always treated the characters correctly but the book never delivered much action and the ending of most of the arcs were pretty 'meh' to me.
If it wasn't for Gambit, I'm not sure if I would still be reading it. But despite all of its faults ANXF, it's still is one of the best three X-books on the market. Hopefully the book will improve in the upcoming issues.
If I had to rate it I'd give the book a 6.75/10

[jmc247]

My store must be sold out, will be back ordering, thanks

This is what I long meant when I have long said retailers have been under ordering and thus hurting the series.

[Quicksilverfan]

If I'm honest I think the book had a much better start (#1 and #3 were amazing) but now everything is pretty average. Don't get me wrong there's nothing inherently wrong in the book, it has good characterization and good team interaction but IMHO there's nothing really special here, so far it's just another superhero team book.
The book needs to explore the corporate angle much more and set itself apart the rest of the books, it also needs more action and compelling villains (so far their biggest enemy was Magus, and that is not a compliment).
I said this before in other places, but in a lot of ways ANXF reminds me of Liu's AXM, she always treated the characters correctly but the book never delivered much action and the ending of most of the arcs were pretty 'meh' to me.
If it wasn't for Gambit, I'm not sure if I would still be reading it. But despite all of its faults ANXF, it's still is one of the best three X-books on the market. Hopefully the book will improve in the upcoming issues.
If I had to rate it I'd give the book a 6.75/10

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I want to see the team in situations you could only find when working for a corporation. That means the group having to take seminars on sexual harrassment, having to sit through HR outlining the health plans available, powerpoint presentations etc...I just see Pietro and Remy hating every moment of it, and it would make me laugh
Also, apart from the first mission, the company really hasn't sent them anywhere...Most of their missions just pop up in the moment than something the company planned . I feel that a company would have more missions planned for their superhero team.

[Neko]

Corporations are not sexy over the top having a bad guy thing. Most of their bad stuff is not seen by the public unless there is a whistle blower and that is usually some sort of embezzlement or something that hurts the public trust. Which is usually ripping off the public.

They really aren't in the business of doing heroics. So - what bad guys are they gonna go after? The ones that are a threat to Serval.

The premise is to work for Serval and their interests. They did nothing with Magnus because in the end his running a company is just that, running a company.

This is what sets this book apart from the others. There is no villain of the month and tbh, I don't want one either.

Serval should put its hit list together of competitors and how to best use the team to give them an edge.

I suppose you could look at Mr. Sinister as a threat or potential villain but unless its on Serval's corp radar, there is no reason for the team to go looking for him.

[jmc247]

They really aren't in the business of doing heroics. So - what bad guys are they gonna go after? The ones that are a threat to Serval.

Seeing them do a press conference as we will in issue #12 or dealing with corporate life like say HR meetings is the fun part of the concept.

[Neko]

Seeing them do a press conference as we will in issue #12 or dealing with corporate life like say HR meetings is the fun part of the concept.

I agree. Meetings and all the mundane things that corporations do - QS and Gambit would be hilarious in not enjoying that sort of thing. I think Lorna would deal better because she's the boss as it were. Still even she has to deal with her team when stuff goes wrong.

[Captain Buttocks]

Wait, there's another x-factor series? Awesome! How does it compare to x-factor investigations?

It doesn't, in my All-New not-so-humble opinion. I haven't read from issue #7 onwards, but it's thoroughly bog-standard All-New superheroics in short All-New chunks.

[salarta]

If I'm honest I think the book had a much better start (#1 and #3 were amazing) but now everything is pretty average. Don't get me wrong there's nothing inherently wrong in the book, it has good characterization and good team interaction but IMHO there's nothing really special here, so far it's just another superhero team book.
The book needs to explore the corporate angle much more and set itself apart the rest of the books, it also needs more action and compelling villains (so far their biggest enemy was Magus, and that is not a compliment).
I said this before in other places, but in a lot of ways ANXF reminds me of Liu's AXM, she always treated the characters correctly but the book never delivered much action and the ending of most of the arcs were pretty 'meh' to me.
If it wasn't for Gambit, I'm not sure if I would still be reading it. But despite all of its faults ANXF, it's still is one of the best three X-books on the market. Hopefully the book will improve in the upcoming issues.
If I had to rate it I'd give the book a 6.75/10

I have almost the opposite opinion.

ANXF #1: At the time of ANXF #6, I felt ANXF #1 was the best issue in the book, largely because we got some interesting insight into Lorna and Remy (we didn't get much of Pietro) and the banter between the three Lorna, Pietro and Remy was great. I think that banter highlighted the potential of ANXF in terms of team dynamics.

ANXF #2: The issue was interesting for what was happening with Fatale and the others, but overall it seemed underwhelming to me. I think I was more excited at the time it came out, so this might be hindsight talking.

ANXF #3: An okay issue, and as a Lorna fan I liked when she rescued Danger immediately. Lorna always struck me as someone that would want to end someone's suffering right away, consequences be damned. The rest seemed alright. Maybe I'd have liked it more if I was a Gambit fan, given that ANXF #3 and #4 were even more Gambit-centric than the rest of the book was until ANXF #7.

ANXF #4 and #6: I'm lumping these together because I'm skipping them for the sake of the thread. Most people here are aware of my views on these two issues. I'll just sum it up by saying I had major complaints with ANXF #4 and #6, and I'm happy we're past that.

ANXF #5: Pretty similar to ANXF #1 quality wise. It was a really good issue for introducing everything Danger can do, her personality and all its quirks, which I think was important for many readers given little the average person (myself included) is likely to know of her. So, Danger's potential within the book was on great display here. Getting into the Magus material through a business meeting gone awry was good use of how being part of a corporate team can change things up; it made X-Factor not just superheroes, but also a mix of intimidation tactic and souped up Serval security. ANXF #5 was a bright point.

ANXF #7 and #8: I'm combining them because I don't feel I can split them so easily. This arc was top notch, nearly everything about it was in excellent form. We got to see the book tackle some really huge issues involving mutant rights, we got what I think was the book's most interesting grey character (so far) in Dakei, Georgia is an interesting new character, and we got some real highlight moments (e.g. the talk about the Jean Grey School and kids dying there). Of course, I feel I need to admit I could be biased, since it was the best depiction of Lorna in the book up to this point. There were a few flaws, but I think they were outweighed by the good and interesting elements. The issue did a good job of showcasing a real team dynamic; until this point, the team kept splintering into one or two members doing everything. Only member that I felt needed more action was Gambit, but to be on par with the others' activity.

ANXF #9: The Mrs. Snow stuff depends on how you look at it. If it's just "woman having an affair to get back at her husband," then it's fairly typical and dull. But, if it's "woman having an affair as part of a grander plan," it becomes a lot more interesting. Gambit came off well at the bar. I felt the family matters, from Lorna and Pietro arguing about Georgia seeing her mother to Georgia and her mother reuniting, were much more engaging. Memento Mori at the end was the real highlight of the issue for me. With what's known about Georgia, the character's look and his cryptic words, it's a damn good cliffhanger and mystery that raises a lot of questions and gets you wanting to read the next issue.


All in all, I view the book's development up to this point as average at the start, dipping into below average in the middle (unless you look at specific parts), and then rising into great by ANXF #9. While I completely understand the need to build the team and get readers into understanding the nature of the book and its themes, I think a storyline like ANXF #7 and #8 was needed much sooner, probably as ANXF #3. Stories like #7 and #8 show off the rich complexity of mutant issues, and I think they're the sort of thing the average reader wants to see more than anything else.

On the flipside, I think the issues we got in the beginning, from ANXF #2-#6 would've been much better off later in the book's run. The Thieves' Guild and Magus are character-centric storylines. That's great for people that are fans of the characters involved, and that's because those fans are already invested in the characters. But you need to be invested in the characters and their stories before you're ready to jump into an issue devoted almost exclusively to the issues of one or two of them. I'm excited for ANXF #14 and the chance to see Lorna and Wanda interact, but if it had been done within the first six issues, it would've been a mistake. Where that issue is right now, as #14 and released in October for a book that launched in January, is good timing and placement for it. Or so I think, anyway.


Speaking specifically to your comment, R0d, I can agree until ANXF #7 on the villains. Dakei wasn't very threatening, but he was interesting story-wise. He was compelling for his grey complexity; whether that truly makes him a villain is up for debate, and I find my opinion alternating between villain or not. I think Memento Mori is going to prove to be the real action-packed compelling villain. We're off to a good start with the cliffhanger ending. I also agree that the corporate angle needs to be much more heavily used in the book. It's something that was promoted a lot in the run-up to the book's launch, so much like "Lorna is the team leader," it's built up expectations in people that they'll see the corporate angle in action. I'm hoping that ANXF #12's press conference will really start to tackle the corporate side a lot more, though I think it needed a lot more emphasis than we've seen to date.

If I had to give a rating, something I don't think works out well, I'd give it a slightly higher number than yours. I think ANXF's gotten much better than it was, and it's on a definite rise in quality as we get deeper, but I don't think it's quite there yet for the reasons I said above.